Letter: The world's religions

Fri, 09/26/2008 10:56 AM | Reader's Forum

These are two comments on an article titled "A wake up call for the world's religions," (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 9, p. 7) written by Tasa Nugraza Barley of Maryland.

Compared to the long history of religion, science - and some people's fascination with it - has only developed over the past few thousand years, thanks to the invention of writing, technological innovation and ever-increasing social complexity and specialization.

At the same time modern religions, with their emphasis on sacred texts, elaborate theology and integrated collections of myths, have only developed with the spread of writing, the expansion of empires and specialization in the provision of religious services.

In today's context, we can see Christianity and Islam as the Starbucks and McDonald's of religious suppliers. Compared to, say, traditional dukuns (shamans) and ghost stories, they offer standardized messages and rituals in a predictable environment with staff trained to provide services with the same manner and attributes.

The problem of religious leaders, compared to Starbucks' chiefs, is that they cannot easily liquidate their assets. And, although the market for their services appears durable, a scent of fraud and exploitation often hangs over them and their doctrines.

So it is to be expected that religious leaders will engage in fierce social and political rivalry to shut down the competition, to punish apostates and heretics and to impose their dogmas as indispensable to the effective functioning of society.

To achieve such privileges, in modern society religious leaders seek to approach the monopoly position held by traditional religions in traditional societies in order to promote their own personal and community status and welfare at the expense of real and potential rival or minority groups.

This does not mean that religious people are insincere or that they are just abusing spirituality as a ticket to power.

But it does mean that promoting religion as the basis for identity, morality and social cohesion tends instead to lead to group antagonism, abuse of power, immorality, and eventually, exploitation or social breakdown.

JOHN HARGREAVES
Jakarta

Tasa, I am honored to present you shortly what Islam says about science. If you carefully read the Koran, you will find that Islamic law is basically based on natural law (Islam calls it God's law or Sunnatullah).

Islam sees ideologies, religions or other forms of values as Dien (Way). Islam never calls itself a religion, but a way because it's fully compatible with natural law.a pity if youbelieve natural law exists in the psychological and social worlds. You should explore it to prove it.

Islam literary means peace. But, Islam vision is far more than just peace, it is called rahmatan lil alamin (bless for the whole universe).

Not just for the Muslims themselves, or even for human being but for the "whole universe".

Every religion or ideology is free to practice their own faith as long as theydisturb Muslims to practice their own faith in their own community.

Perhaps the way you see religion and the way Islam see religion are from different angles.

Sorry to say, it seems like basic school students who only know plus-minus calculation criticize the high school students because the high school studentsdo their vectorial calculations with a similar logic as the flat plus-minus calculations.

Please read the Koran! And you will know that it is not a faith just to be swallowed.

DAVID ABDULLAH
Virginia

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